[Stones and Stories] The Sword Dance of Politics Remains as the Fingerprints of Life

The records of a Baduk (Go) game bear the fingerprints of life. They capture the stirrings of desire, the lingering traces of earnestness, and the marks of regret. Most of the time, one does not realize this when placing each stone. Only after many years have passed does one come to understand that a Baduk life is an accumulation of records engraved on the board. How unfortunate it is to realize this only after passing the twilight of one's Baduk journey. If one had known in advance that every breath and every gesture during a match carried its own story, would one not have acted differently?

The reason professional players cherish their game records is that they allow for self-reflection. By simply retracing the records, one can vividly relive matches from decades ago. It is a process of recalling, in its entirety, the memories of building a house-laying the foundation of a new space, erecting pillars, stacking bricks, and placing the roof.

Reunions with the past do not only bring smiles. They also contain the painful memories of choices that, upon reflection, feel regrettable or even foolish. There are memories of losing composure, intoxicated by the thrill of an unrestrained roar. There are memories of putting oneself in danger by overlooking the sharpness of a honed blade. Fleeting gestures become a prelude to defeat, returning as a boomerang.

The manifestation of greed in coveting what belongs to others. Can everything be forgiven by claiming that this is the nature of competition? Only by learning to sort out chaotic and shameful memories can one create new space to breathe. The sinister traces scattered throughout life are not things to be hidden, but lessons to be engraved. It is not shameful to acknowledge that humans are beings with shortcomings. Everyone lives with memories of large and small flaws stuck to them. The only difference is that some try to pave a new path with a changed self, while others, mired in inertia, repeat their misguided words and actions.

Politics, too, is recorded like a game record. In a space where fierce debates unfold as a daily routine, it is a difficult profession for politicians to keep their words and actions in order. At times, political demands require them to use harsh language, and sometimes they expose the embarrassment of inconsistency between words and deeds. If the traces of accumulated wrongdoings are left unattended, they remain as shackles that hold back a political life.

In this sense, politicians need to reflect on the fingerprints of life they have left behind. They must consider whether they are still adding to the traces of wrongdoing even today. If one carelessly repeats slander about the opposing party or internal rivals, at some point, one will confront a distorted version of oneself, from words and actions to facial expressions. If the beginning is crooked, how can the vessel of politics one shapes be upright? Actions that respect rivals and language that exudes dignity are the priming water that changes others’ perspectives. Only by showing these changes, little by little, one by one, can the distorted fingerprints of life be corrected.

Now, as Chuseok has passed and we enter the heart of autumn, a breathless political schedule awaits, leading into the 2025 National Assembly audit and budget session. It is the season to bear the fruit of dialogue and compromise, the essence of politics. Is it not time to put an end to the futile sword dance that erodes one's future and political vitality? This is the season when we long for politicians whose past fingerprints of life make us curious-those who can demonstrate broad-minded politics.